Italian Social Republic: Occupied Territory (Aston Khor)(Northern Italy occupied by Germany after 1943)
Problems To Be Addressed: Occupied Territories
What were the circumstances in the Occupied Territory that compelled the policies implemented by the occupying power there? How was policy shaped to address these circumstances?
oThe German aims of the occupation were primarily strategic and secondarily propagandist. “ Italy was to serve as a warning to other allies of Germany who felt inclined to withdraw from the conflict. Germany first created a new constitution for the Italian Social Republic. On the economic side, the Germans allowed the RSI only the smallest amount of their own governing. The majority of Italian production was controlled and managed by the Nazis.
oWhen Hitler established the new socialist state in Italy, Mussolini was made the head of state and prime minister. Mussolini stated in public that he was in full control of the RSI, but most were well aware that he actually had no power. The country had no organized economy, and its financing was dependent entirely on funding from Berlin. German forces themselves had little respect for Mussolini's failed fascist movement and saw the regime as useful only for purposes of maintaining order. Germany was able to take complete control of the state because most citizens viewed Mussolini as incompetent in running a government. The policies were shaped to address these circumstances through Germany’s placing of the fascist Mussolini into power. He was used as a puppet leader. Through this, Germany was able to keep Italy on its side and prevent any uprising.
oRustenburg Protocol: On October 19, 1943 the Rastenburg Protocol was signed with the Nazis. RSI would be allowed to raise a division sized army. Marshal Rodolf Graziani’s four divisions totaling 52,000 men. The First of these divisions completed training in July 1944 and was sent to the front.
What were the effects of the occupation of your territory on the occupying power's war effort? This should include basic data such as numbers of troops diverted to the occupation and so forth, but should also take into account less logistical factors such as the psychological effect of occupation on the occupying power, issues of morale, attitudes of occupation forces toward the local population (and vice versa) and the degree to which that sharpened or dulled the occupiers' resolve, etc.
On October 19, 1943 the Rastenburg Protocol was signed with the Nazis. RSI would be allowed to raise a division sized army. Marshal Rodolf Graziani four divisions totaling 52,000 men. The First of these divisions completed training in July 1944 and was sent to the front.
Recruiting military forces was difficult for the RSI as most of the Italian Army had been interned by German forces in 1943, many military-aged Italians had been conscripted into forced labor in Germany and few wanted to participate in the war. The RSI became so desperate for soldiers that it granted convicts freedom if they would join the army and the sentence of death was imposed on anyone who opposed being conscripted.
The fact that Germany had taken most of the army men from the RSI had a heavy psychological ramifications on the population. Without men to lead and be husbands, women began to turn towards German soldiers for relationships.
Operation winter storm – On December 26, 1944 two divisions of the RSI army were involved in Operation Winter Storm. This was a combined German and Italian offensive. The battle was fought in the Apennines. While limited in scale, this was a successful offensive and the RSI units did their part.
What were the motivations/methods/outcomes of resistance and collaboration? How did this affect the Occupied Territory after the war? Use case studies to illustrate.
The main instance of collaboration between the two sides was the passing of the Rastenburg Protocol. This protocol was extremely disliked by the public and would have huge effects on the future trust of the public. This in part affected the change back to a republic state.
There were many acts of armed resistance. The earliest acts of armed resistance to the German occupation after the armistice between Italy and the Allied armed forces were undertaken by the regular armed forces. This consisted of the Italian Armed forces and the carabinieri military police. The most well known battle took place in Rome. The event took place the say the armistice
Partisan movement - The movement was initially composed of various independently operating groups led by members of political parties previously outlawed by the Fascist regime. The formations were eventually divided into three main groups: the communist Garibaldi Brigades, the Giustizia e Liberta (Justice and Freedom) Brigades related to the Partito d'Azione, and the socialist Matteotti Brigades. Smaller groups included Catholics and monarchists, such as the Brigate Fiamme Verdi (Green Flame Brigades), 1 Gruppo Divisioni Alpine founded by Enrico Martini, and Organizzazione Franchi founded by Edgardo Sogno, as well as anarchist and apolitical groups. Relations among the groups were not always good. For example, in 1945, the Garibaldi partisans under Yugoslav Partisan command attacked and killed partisans of the Catholic and azionista Osoppo groups in the province of Udine.
What were the effects of occupation on women & youth in the Occupied Territory? Use case studies to illustrate.
Women played a large role in the Italian Resistance. Out of the 200,000 recognized Resistance fighters about 35,000 were women partigiane combattente and 20,000 were patriote . They were broken up into these groups based on the activities that they performed. The majority of women involved in the Resistance were between the ages of 20 and 29. Most women also saw combat during their time in the Resistance.
The Italian legislation passed a bill in 1944 called the SAF. It was the government’s response to the demand of many young women militants following the establishment of fascism in Italy. It addressed the issue of women in the military as auxiliaries. It required that they be Arayan and of Italian descent. Its official name was the Voluntary Women’s Corps for Auxiliary Service in the Republican Armed forces. Women had a huge part in the fascist movement, but historians lacked a lot of the details surrounding their involvement because very few focused on that. No general reference work concerning women’s involvement in the movement exists, as for a very long time, no one felt as though it was worth writing about.
Italian Fascism pursued what it called "moral hygiene" of youth, particularly regarding sexuality. Fascist Italy promoted what it considered normal sexual behaviour in youth while denouncing what it considered deviant sexual behaviour. It condemned pornography, most forms of birth control and contraceptive devices homosexuality, and prostitution.
Bibliography Bresadola, Gianmarco. "The Legitimising Strategies of the Nazi Administration in Northern Italy: Propaganda in the Adriatisches Küstenland." Contemporary European History 13.4 (1999): 425-51. Print.
Gregor, A. James. "Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1915–1945 – By R. J. B. Bosworth." The Historian 69.4 (2007): 810-11. Print.
Knox, MacGregor. Common Destiny: Dictatorship, Foreign Policy, and War in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2000. Print.
Froddosio, M. "The Fallen Hero: The Myth of Mussolini and Fascist Women in the Italian Social Republic (1943-5." Journal of Contemporary History 31.1 (1996): 99-124. Print.
Behan, Tom. The Italian Resistance: Fascists, Guerrillas and the Allies. London: Pluto, 2009. Print.
Problems To Be Addressed: Occupied Territories
Bibliography
Bresadola, Gianmarco. "The Legitimising Strategies of the Nazi Administration in Northern Italy: Propaganda in the Adriatisches Küstenland." Contemporary European History 13.4 (1999): 425-51. Print.
Gregor, A. James. "Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1915–1945 – By R. J. B. Bosworth." The Historian 69.4 (2007): 810-11. Print.
Knox, MacGregor. Common Destiny: Dictatorship, Foreign Policy, and War in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2000. Print.
Froddosio, M. "The Fallen Hero: The Myth of Mussolini and Fascist Women in the Italian Social Republic (1943-5." Journal of Contemporary History 31.1 (1996): 99-124. Print.
Behan, Tom. The Italian Resistance: Fascists, Guerrillas and the Allies. London: Pluto, 2009. Print.